A Broken Wing
by Mauselet-AliceAsuka
Summary: Zoe and Reese listen to a story of how their parents met. Hearing and imagining the beginning of that friendship and especially love, the sisters can only smile while being amazed by the story.


**I'm going to you use supposed Japanese first names of the characters without canon English first names in this fanfic.**

—

A 14 years old chubby boy named Ryunanaka Drake was on his way from school. His hair was dark brown but the tips were a bright shade of pink which was unbelievably his natural hair color. His deep blue eyes were locked on a history book; he really likes reading about Ancient Japan, especially the era when Tokugawa was a shogun.

As he was reading and leaving the school in a group of other students he heard a weak cheeping. He stopped, looking around to see the source of the sound. He wasn't the only one to do so.

A girl with long light brown or orange like hair; he couldn't really describe that color, walked to a slightly broken wire fence. She knelt down. He wasn't able to see exactly what was going on, so he stepped closer to her. That's when he noticed, there was a bird stuck in the fence.

He headed to the fence and the girl. He could see them clearly. He recognized the bird, it was a dove. It had black and white stripes on the side of its neck. The rest of its body was brown with dark wings with silver tips.

"An oriental turtle dove," he and the girl said at once. They looked at each other in surprise.

Ryunanaka blushed. He's definitely seen this girl before, but he's never seen her face so close so it wasn't blurred for him. He blushed more.

Her skin was smooth and rather pale but her cheeks were rosy. Her eyes were purple and wide opened. She was pretty.

"Good guess," she told him.

"Um... thanks..."

Then the cheeping sounded again; they turned their attention back to the dove. It was stuck in the fence, its wing was injured by the wires and bleeding.

The girl reached her hand to the dove slowly. The bird waved its wings around as much as it could, scared.

"Don't worry, little guy."

However, once she stroked its head gently, it calmed down a bit. "The wing doesn't look good..."

"I can take her home," Ryunanaka suggested, "my mom is a vet."

She looked at him. "Okay. Help me get her out."

He nodded and pulled the wires away from the dove as the girl gently took it out. The bird waved its wings in an attempt to fly, but the injured wing didn't allow her to. The girl held her carefully. "Lead the way."

They headed to the boy's house. They were silent for a while. Then he spoke up, "I'm Ryunanaka."

"Huh?" She looked at him, still holding the dove. "My name is Amano."

"Amano," he repeated, "that's a nice name."

The girl blushed slightly. "Thanks. So, your mom is a vet?"

He nodded. "It's a family legacy."

"That's so cool. I've always wanted to be a vet."

"Really?"

Amano nodded with a big smile on her face. "Animals have always liked me more than humans. People don't like me that much."

"No way!" Ryunanaka gasped, not believing that people wouldn't like her. He's met her just several minutes ago, but he already knew that she's kind and smart and caring and very pretty. "How come people don't like you?"

"They probably just think that I'm mean. I usually keep myself from talking and people don't like that," she explained, "I don't think I've ever talked so much in front to anyone before."

"Then...why are you talkative now?" he asked her

She shrugged and blushed slightly. "I just feel like talking to you." She then fell into complete silence.

He stepped closer to her and flushed. Her face wasn't that fuzzy for him; she was really pretty.

They soon walked to Ryunanaka's house. He told his mother what happened and they gave her the dove to take care of.

He and Amano were sitting outside of the room, waiting.

"I hope she's going to be okay," she murmured.

"She is," Ryunanaka reassured her, giving her a big smile, "I know she is."

"She seemed to be calm as I carried her. I am surprised she wasn't uncomfortable."

"How could anyone be uncomfortable with you?" he asked her suddenly. She looked at him confusedly. "What?"

"I-I mean-!" he stuttered as his cheeks turned deep red.

"Pff-" She held back her laughter; her hand was covering her mouth.

"Huh?"

She started laughing.

His face became even redder. He looked away. He liked her laugh.

"You look so cute when you blush, Ryu."

He looked at her in shock, still blushing. He had no idea how he should respond. There's literally nothing he dislikes about her at this point.

She. Is. Perfect.

"Um... Ryu? Are you okay?" Amano wondered. He quickly looked at her. "Y-yeah! I-I'm fine! I'm fine! Y-you just caught me off guard with that nickname."

"Sorry."

"It's alright. I...kinda liked it. T-That sounded bad..." he chuckled. She joined in.

After a while, Ryunanaka's mother came to them with the dove. The bird's wing was treated, it wasn't bleeding any more. She told them everything they needed to know about how to take care of the bird. Amano took the dove and carried her home.

Later that day, Ryunanaka was lying in bed, thinking about Amano. Her smile, her voice, her hair, her face, her eyes, her laugh.

She's just so perfect.

He needs to see her again, at least once.

—

A week passed, he hasn't seen her since.

As Ryunanaka was walking around the school somebody called his name.

"Ryunanaka!" He looked behind and saw Amano rushing to him. He gasped, smiling. "Amano!" It felt like forever since he's last seen her. He thought she would never want to meet with him again, but now she's here. She stopped in front of him, panting.

"Hi. It's been a while," Amano said.

"Yeah. I'm really glad to see you... I-I mean-"

"Me too! Hey, I...I thought...Would you like to come to my house after school?" she asked, making Ryunanaka blush, "I'd like to show you how Nat is doing."

"Nat?" he wondered.

"The dove you helped me save," she explained.

"I see... Sure! Can't wait."

She nodded. "Okay. See you soon." She waved at him and headed in her classroom.

"See ya."

—

After school, he waited for her in front of the school building. She came after five minutes.

They headed to her house. Once they were inside, Ryunanaka noticed photos around the house. He looked closely to see. A young blond girl was on some of them. She was very similar to Amano except for the hair. Could it be a sister?

"Who is that?" he asked, looking at a picture of the girl with a biology competition award.

"That's me a few years ago," Amano replied.

"You? B-but your hair is brown, not blond."

"My hair actually gets dark throughout the years," she explained, playing with her hair.

"I see. I should have guessed. She's so pretty." Amano blushed immediately. She shook her head slightly and led him to her room. There was a birdcage with the dove from earlier inside.

Amano went to open the cage. "Come here, Natasha." The dove flew out and landed on Amano's arm.

"She actually listens to you," Ryunanaka was amazed, "I didn't think a wild dove would learn to obey."

Amano chuckled. Natasha flew up.

"So, Natasha, huh? Not a usual name for a bird," Ryu said. Natasha picked a piece of paper from a desk and headed to him.

"Y-yeah... I just like the name."

The dove dropped the piece of paper in Ryunanaka's hands. He looked at it closely. He read several names, Natasha was one of them. Then he stopped at the title of the list. "Future baby names?" he murmured.

Amano blushed and pulled the paper from his hands. "I-it's nothing... Just a dumb list I've written a few years ago."

"You are prepared. That is good."

"You think?"

He nodded. "Plus some of them aren't that bad. Like this one." He pointed at one of the names on the paper. "Zoe. Or this one." He pointed to a name below. "Reese."

"Maybe you're right."

"I know I am!" Ryunanaka grinned at her.

Those two started to meet up together every day. They were inseparable and eventually, people decided to call them a couple, despite they've never officially agreed on that until one day.

Summer just started. Amano was about head home and pack for her vacation. The only thing on Ryunanaka's mind was telling her how he feels before she meets somebody on her vacation. He ran after her.

"Am!"

"Ryu, there you are. I was worried when you didn't show up."

"I... I was hiding..." he admitted.

"Hiding? From me?"

"Y-yeah... Don't take me wrong. There was just something I needed to think about. Am, I... I...I knew this from the moment I saw you and then you yourself actually convinced me I'm right. You're so perfect. And-"

She grabbed his arm and pulled him closer. She leaned to him and kissed him.

His eyes widened, his body was paralyzed, he had no idea what to do.

She wrapped her arms around him, still kissing him. He started kissing her back. One of his hands slipped on her back, pulling her even closer, as the other one ran through her long hair.

They soon pulled away, staring at each other. "Am, I love-"

Amano placed her finger to his lips, smiling. "I love you too."

"R-really?" He smiled back.

She nodded. "I'll think about you and send you letters every day, I promise."

"I'll be waiting."

Then they embraced themselves and said goodbyes for a few weeks.

After a year of knowing each other, Amano was getting annoyed with Ryunanaka's bad sight. She kept telling him to buy glasses, but he never listened to her.

They were just chilling out in his room. She was sitting on the bed while he was resting his head on her lap, reading a book. He had to hold the book really close to his face to actually read it.

"Wouldn't it better for you to get a pair of glasses?" Amano asked him once again, running her fingers through his dark hair.

"No."

She sighed. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

"The same reason why you have to be so gorgeous," he replied, making his girlfriend blush, "I was born this way. Our children might be the same."

"One you is enough for now. Now, are you going to buy those glasses?"

"I don't need any. I can read just fine," he stuck with his answer.

Amano took the book and pulled it from his hands up.

"Hey!"

"Can you read now?" she wondered.

"Of course I can."

"Then read out loud."

He cringed and glared at the pages, trying to focus on the text. "Um... And that...He...Um...?"

"You can't read it."

"I can't," he told her, frowning, admitting she was right, "alright."

The next day, Ryunanaka visited Amano already with his new glasses on. Once she saw him, she giggled, making him embarrassed.

"I knew it was a bad idea," Ryunanaka murmured.

"No, it wasn't, Ryu." Amano stroked his cheek. "You look great, plus you won't hurt your eyes anymore."

"Am, you are perfect," he told her, knowing she was only worried about him.

—

Their relationship was going very well as time passed. They were there for each other anytime, helping no matter what. They were the definition of 'falling in love with your best friend'. When they weren't helping Ryunanaka's mother in the animal hospital they were reading books, learning, cuddling and more.

They both were soon turning 18 when that moment came.

Amano was rapidly knocking on the front door and ringing the doorbell, waiting for Ryunanaka to open. She needed to tell him now! Once he did, she rushed in.

"Ryu...! I...I gotta...I gotta tell you something..." she panted; she must have run there all the way from home.

"Am, are you okay? Did something happen?" he worried.

She nodded twice. "Ryu... I-I don't know how to tell you. I'm..."

—

"Once I told him, your father started crying in joy. He hugged me and laughed. It was the first time I've seen him so happy," Amano took her husband's hand as she described the moment to their daughters.

"Aww!" The younger one, Zoe, gasped. "And what was it? Why were you in such a rush? What did you tell him?" she asked.

Amano smiled at her enthusiasm; she was so much like her father. "I... I told him I was pregnant with Reese."

"I was caught off guard," Ryunanaka chuckled, "after hearing that, I decided to make a step. I proposed to your mother on her 18th birthday. Natasha, unfortunately, didn't survive that long, but she stayed with us. We both each kept her feather to remind us of the day we met. We held the feathers at our wedding."

"That is so romantic!" Zoe squealed.

Her sister nodded. "It is. I am surprised you managed to stay together for so long."

"Through good and bad, together." Their parents kissed and smiled at one another.


End file.
